CHAPTER VI.

FROM THE DEATH OF HEROD TO THE END OF THE SEVENTY

PROPHETIC WEEKS;

OR MARCH 21, A. J. P. 4710, TO THE END OF SEPTEMBER, A. J. P. 4744-34 YEARS, 6 MONTHS, 10 DAYS.

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I. Our Lord probably in Egypt till he was four years old. Joseph goes to Nazareth. Archelaus after Herod's death. He, Salome, and Herod Antipas, sail for Rome. Augustus confirms Herod's last will, but makes Archelaus ethnarch, and not king. Imprudent conduct of Varus occasions a revolt in Jerusalem. — Archelaus deposes Joazar, but fails to conciliate the people. II. At this time the holy family return to Nazareth. The childhood of our Lord. — The fears of Joseph removed by the banishment of Archelaus in our Lord's twelfth year. Temple of Janus reopened. III. Judæa being a province of the empire, our Lord, at the age of twelve, could go in safety to Jerusalem. He tarries behind in the temple. Little recorded of the Jewish people. - Joazar reinstated. Coponius procurator.

Judas the Gaulonite. - Fourth Jewish sect.-State of the sects at this time. The Essenes - Sadducees - Pharisees. The fourth sect called Galileans. Differed little from the Pharisees, but more turbulent. - All calamitous to the Church. IV. Temple profaned by the Samaritans. - Ananus high priest. Marcus Ambivius procurator.. Death of Salome. Annius Rufus procurator. Tiberius sole emperor.- Valerius Gratus procurator. — Ishmael high priest - then Eleazar - then Simon - then Caïaphas—all appointed by the Roman governor.- Pontius Pilate procurator. His violent conduct. - Galileans slain. V. Events in the Roman empire remotely affecting the Jews. Shameful intrigue at Rome, which occasioned the banishment of the Jews. Pilate, a creature of Sejanus. - The banished Roman Jews hear John the Baptist, our Lord and his Apostles. VI. Beginning of St. John's ministry. - Our Lord's baptism. Commencement of the struggle between the second Adam and the great Deceiver. VII. Our Lord's ministry confined to the Jewish nation. - Began at the Passover. The buyers and sellers driven from the Court of the Gentiles. Just forty-six years from the 18th year of Herod. VIII. The three years of our Lord's ministry divided — first in Judæa-second in Galilee-third beyond Jordan. The first examined. The acceptable year of the Lord. - Cause of St. John's imprisonment. IX. Our Lord's ministry in Galilee. — The woman of Samaria. - Cana. - Nazareth. - First act of violence in his own city. X. He removes to Capernaum with his mother and brethren. — Joseph probably now dead. -Completes his thirty-second year. In his thirty-third selects his apostles. -Communicates to them his power. XI. Alarm and jealousy of the several sects. Their open opposition began at his second Passover. - Cure at the pool of Bethesda. - Our Lord's cautious conversations accounted for, as well as his mysterious actions. — Murder of St. John the Baptist. His character. - God's vengeance upon his mur

derers. Striking remark of Josephus. XII. Our Lord retires from Herod's dominions. His ministry beyond Jordan. - Miracle of the five loaves, and attempt to proclaim him king. - Great defection of his disciples. - Third Passover.— Attempts upon his life. XIII. Memorable confession at Cæsarea Philippi. - Transfiguration. The Ascension, its anniversary. - Appointment of the seventy.- Our Lord's last visitation in Galilee. XIV. Feast of Tabernacles. He appears suddenly in the temple. - Woman taken in adultery. - Man born blind. - The ten lepers. XV. Feast of the Dedication. - Anniversary of his baptism passed at Bethabara. - Resurrection of Lazarus. It occasions the decree of the Sanhedrim to put our Lord to death. — He retires to Ephraim. — Passion week. — Thursday the anniversary of his Incarnation. - Institutes the Lord's Supper, and as Priest offers himself. The sacrifice of animals forever abolished. XVI. Jesus the victim. - His agony and crucifixion. XVII. His burial and resurrection. The middle of the last week of Daniel. The kingdom of heaven began. - Forty days spent with his Church. - Ascension. - Pentecost. - Descent of the Holy Ghost. — Preaching of Peter.-Jewish sects combine to persecute the Church. - Deacons appointed. Feast of Tabernacles. — Martyrdom of Stephen. - Persecution All scattered but the apostles. XVIII. History of St. Paul. His estimation among the Jews for learning. — His zeal. — Wonderful conversion. - Baptism. - Instructed by our Lord in person for three years. As the great apostle

severe.

to the Gentiles, he goes to Jerusalem three years and a half after the crucifixion. — Acknowledged as such by the apostles before him. - End of the seventy weeks of mercy. XIX. Computation of that period. — Designs of Almighty wisdom concerning Israel and Judah again considered. — Subdivision of the seventy weeks by the prophet into seven, sixty-two, and one. - The first, from the decree of Artaxerxes Longimanus given to Ezra, to the end of Nehemiah's history, or the troublous times. The second, to the beginning of St. John the Baptist's ministry.— The one week divided equally. The first half, to the crucifixion. The last half, preparations for rejecting the Jews, and calling the Gentiles.

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I.

OW long our Lord remained in Egypt, it is impossible

Hot loter que Lodhanasius, on the HOW to determine. Athanasius, commenting on the words,

66

B. V. E. 3.

They are dead who sought the young child's life," explains them of Herod and his son Antipater; and names the 25th of December, in the consulship of Silvanus, as the time. P. 4711 when Joseph was commanded by the angel to "go Archelaus 2 with the young child and his mother into the land of Israel." The consulship of Silvanus was in the year after Herod's

1 St. Matt. ii. 19—21. Montfaucon Collectio. Nova, tom. ii. S. Athanasii Archiepisc. Alexand. ex. serm. sive com. in Matth. p. 27. The editor has no doubt that this fragment is authentic ;

yet the author speaks of the consulship of Silvanus as the forty-fifth year of the reign of Augustus, which is an enor

mous error.

death; and on the 25th of December, in that year, our Lord had completed his fourth, and was entering on the fifth year of his age. It is the assertion of an Egyptian bishop of the fourth century. The tradition is one likely to be preserved ; and the date is not of itself improbable. Joseph was ignorant that Archelaus was reigning in Judæa, till he had come into his territories. In the fear which that news occasioned, and impelled by another warning from above, he retired to his old residence at Nazareth, where he resumed the occupation by which he had formerly been supported. To see the reason of that fear and of that warning, we must resume the history where we left it at the end of the last chapter.

Archelaus, immediately after his father's death, affected a great deal of mildness, and kindness for the people. He spoke of Herod's tyranny, and the injuries they had suffered from it, with regret; promised that he himself would pursue an opposite course; and encouraged them freely to lay their grievances and their wants before him. He had refused the diadem, which the army would have placed upon his head at Jericho, because his father's will had not yet been confirmed by Augustus; but he had accepted the government, that he might be useful to the people, and requite their kindness towards himself. So saying, he was received with universal acclamation. But this state of joy and tranquillity was of short continuance. The Passover, on the 12th of April, when the moon was at her full, brought to remembrance the portentous eclipse, and its mournful associations. The people rose tumultuously, and demanded the death of all who had been concerned in the execution of the rabbins and their disciples. Before all things, they demanded the deposition of the high priest, Joazar, whom Herod had appointed in the room of Matthias, and whom they accused of not being zealous for the law, and of wanting personal piety and purity. The latter

2 Chron. Introd. pp. 566, 609. Syncellus places it in the fifth year of our Lord's age, in the fourth after Herod's

death, which is evidently too late. Sync. Chronogr. p. 317.

demand, though offensive, was granted by Archelaus; the former denied, because their friends had been put to death justly, and according to law. The irritated multitude, augmented greatly by the numbers who had come to the feast, were still more violent and clamorous. After vain attempts to quell the insurrection peaceably, recourse was had to arms, and three thousand men were slaughtered by the soldiery, while the rest fled to the mountains. The observance of the feast was interrupted, and all the inhabitants of the country ordered to return to their homes. Archelaus sailed for Rome, with his mother and friends, leaving all things under the care of his brother, Philip. With him went his aunt, Salome, with her children and near kindred, under pretence of assisting, but, in reality, to oppose, his application. Herod Antipas also went to Rome, at the persuasion of Salome, to lay before Cæsar his claims to the throne, because Herod, before he was enfeebled by disease, had selected him as the worthiest of his sons. Augustus heard them all, but would not break Herod's last will. He placed Archelaus, however, on his good behaviour, by giving him, at present, only the title of ethnarch. All other arrangements of the late king were confirmed.3

Before these arrangements were completed at Rome, Malthace, the mother of Archelaus, died; and, about the same time, letters were received from Varus, the governor of Syria, that the Jews were in open revolt. Sabinus, who had the charge of the emperor's revenue in Syria, was on his way to seal all Herod's effects, when he met with Archelaus, at Cæsarea, to take passage for Rome. By the intercession of Varus, he desisted from this design till the pleasure of Augustus should be known. He proceeded, notwithstanding, to Jerusalem; seized the king's palace, and publicly declared that he should require a strict account of all Herod's treasures. He then warmly espoused the cause of Antipas, and wrote

3 Joseph. Antiq. lib. xvii. c. viii. ix. De Bel. Jud. lib. ii. c. i. ii.

letters to the emperor, accusing Archelaus. His imprudent conduct brought on a bloody feud between the Jews and the Romans, at the feast of Pentecost, in which many lives were lost on both sides, a large part of the temple cloisters burned, and the sacred treasury plundered. Sabinus was closely besieged in the king's palace, the walls of which were undermined by the Jews; and, to prevent its destruction, he was obliged to send for succours to Varus. Such was the occasion of the letters from Varus to the emperor. Having despatched them, he marched into Judæa, and, with great difficulty, raised the siege, and repressed the commotion. ashamed to appear before him, stole out of the city, and retired to the sea-side. On the return of Archelaus, he fulfilled his promise to the people, by deposing the high priest, Joazar, and appointing his brother, Eleazar, in his place; but he did it on the pretext that Joazar was concerned in the late riots. This half-concession weakened the effect of the promise; and the slaughter of the three thousand could never be forgotten or forgiven.

II.

Sabinus,

Such was the state of feeling, throughout Judæa, with regard to Archelaus, when the holy family returned from Egypt, and retired to Nazareth. The profound obscurity in which the Son of God passed his childhood, has, for us, a most instructive meaning. All that is said of him, for the next seven years of his human life, is exactly what is also said of his great forerunner. The child grew, and was strengthened in mind. In his human nature, his powers, both of body and soul, were, like those of all other children, increased by exercise and culture.

5

4 Joseph. Antiq. ut sup. c. x. De Bel. Jud. lib. ii. c. ii. p. 4. At the consultation held by Augustus concerning these events, Caius, his eldest grandson, assisted. This circumstance, incidentally remarked by Josephus, is im

But of John it is added,

portant; because, early in A. J. P. 4713, Caius went to the east, and was there treacherously murdered. Chron. Introd. P. i. c. ix. p. 220.

5 Comp. St. Luke i. 80, with ii. 40.